Bo Eder - Triplets Revisited

[Bo Eder]

I'm posting this little solo up again. It's mostly triplets, and NO cymbals. I'm hearing too many cymbals and snare rolls around here....so here's my reaction ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npfQe...&feature=inbox

What's your reaction?

[Anthony Amodeo]

always love your playing Bo

the drums are sounding amazing as always

[mikeyhanson]

Right on, Bo! That was cool! Those Starclassics sound great!

[8Mile]

My impression is that you're a monster player. Great solo, love the structure, flawless execution and great-sounding drums. Just like always.

Can't you be more like the typical gear-head who concentrates on equipment at the expense of developing great skill on the instrument? Please? Dammit?

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by 8Mile

My impression is that you're a monster player. Great solo, love the structure, flawless execution and great-sounding drums. Just like always.

Can't you be more like the typical gear-head who concentrates on equipment at the expense of developing great skill on the instrument? Please? Dammit?

Thanks so much, 8. Phrases like yours make me blush! Sorry, I had good teachers who taught me I could become a gearhead after I learned how to play. So I may never be a gearhead (although I can talk on and on about it like everybody else) since I'm always learning how to play ;)

[Swiss Matthias]

Tasty playing! Groovy and flawlessly executed. Pleasure listening to!

[Toolate]

2 ply heads? Love the meaty attack sound.

The ease with which you play is stunning.

[Numberless]

Such a smooth sound, I love it!

I hereby declare the second week of July "DW monster chops week"

[keep it simple]

Originally Posted by Numberless

I hereby declare the second week of July "DW monster chops week"

I'm getting my coat ;)



I can't comment on triplets here Bo. The last time I did that, a certain member threw his toys of his cot. Anyhow, you haven't commented on my playing posts, so poopoo to you :)-o Yes, I'm having one of those days!

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by keep it simple

I'm getting my coat ;)



I can't comment on triplets here Bo. The last time I did that, a certain member threw his toys of his cot. Anyhow, you haven't commented on my playing posts, so poopoo to you :)-o Yes, I'm having one of those days!

I'm getting to it Andy - watching you and your band takes more time and I don't want to say anything before I've digested it ;)

[opentune]

Super cool triplets piece. Great sounding drums. Wondering, are they eq'd at all?

[keep it simple]

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

I'm getting to it Andy - watching you and your band takes more time and I don't want to say anything before I've digested it ;)

You know I'm pulling your string, eh? :)

That's a wonderful performance. I love the way you transition from one element to the next, whilst still keeping the theme intact and interesting. An organic performance, & that makes it even more appealing. If I was being Mr. picky, there's a couple of sections where your bass drum triplets "gallop" slightly, but that just adds to the "ad hoc" vibe. Nice, very nice :)

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by opentune

Super cool triplets piece. Great sounding drums. Wondering, are they eq'd at all?

Just a bit of EQ - all the mic's are plugged into a Mackie 1604VLZ console, and I take the direct outs from there into the eight inputs on my Zoom R16 (I don't like the mic pre-amps on the Zoom. They're good, but not good enough to handle the fast transients of drums). So I usually do the opposite of what people think - I subtract low frequencies from all the mics and add a bit of high frequencies to the cymbal mics for the actual recording. Then I transfer those tracks into either GarageBand or Logic Pro on my Mac, and I can re-EQ from there if necessary. There is a bit of reverb mixed in as well.

Yeah Andy - I do gallop from time-to-time. These split triplets aren't the easiest thing to do for me, but I insist on working on working them because I want to start using them for actual fills with bands ;)

[keep it simple]

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

Yeah Andy - I do gallop from time-to-time. These split triplets aren't the easiest thing to do for me, but I insist on working on working them because I want to start using them for actual fills with bands ;)

I use triplets with the bass drum frequently. They're a gig friendly fall back for me. I used them a lot back in the day, & got pretty creative with them, but never as a groove piece, & your performance had groove a plenty.

TBH, bass drum triplets are just about the only thing I can honestly claim to pull off to an acceptable level. How sad is that :)

[Toolate]

What heads tho? They remind me of the G2s I have on my gretsch cats. Am I right? Probably not. ...

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by Toolate

What heads tho? They remind me of the G2s I have on my gretsch cats. Am I right? Probably not. ...

Sorry! I forgot that you asked earlier! The heads are stock Evan's clear G2's on the batter sides and a clear Evans EQ4 on the bass drum. My snare is the Stewart Copeland with a coated G2 on top. The funny thing about this kit, was that Tama put some generic bottom head (I think they said Tama 250), and they were so thin the drums sounded like crap! So immediately the bottoms of the toms got new Evans G1's that I had in my garage and all of the sudden I got that sound.

Just today I replaced the batters on the toms with coated Evans G2's and the drums sound alot warmer now. I've always loved the sound of coated heads.

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by keep it simple

I use triplets with the bass drum frequently. They're a gig friendly fall back for me. I used them a lot back in the day, & got pretty creative with them, but never as a groove piece, & your performance had groove a plenty.

TBH, bass drum triplets are just about the only thing I can honestly claim to pull off to an acceptable level. How sad is that :)

Are you referring to these same split triplets (hand-hand-foot) I'm doing or are you referring to triplets played on your bass drum with a double pedal?

[Anon La Ply]

Sheet hot playing, as always, Bo!

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

Yeah Andy - I do gallop from time-to-time. These split triplets aren't the easiest thing to do for me, but I insist on working on working them because I want to start using them for actual fills with bands ;)

"Gallop". I hadn't heard that word used for uneven triplets but I like it. Alas, i describes my split triplets to a tee, which is why I've never tried using them at a gig. In the mid 70s it was almost a compulsory cred lick ... and I didn't make the grade *hangs head*

Seems to me that you could play split triplets functionally in a song. You don't have to stretch like you did in the clip since even classic rock seldom demands more than a one bar flurry.

[keep it simple]

Originally Posted by Anon La Ply

"Gallop". I hadn't heard that word used for uneven triplets but I like it.

It's just so descriptive, without being unkindly negative.

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

Are you referring to these same split triplets (hand-hand-foot) I'm doing or are you referring to triplets played on your bass drum with a double pedal?

Yes Bo, split triplets. I couldn't do double bass drum triplets to any useable speed if I tried.

[Toolate]

thanks- I love that sound (on my drums too- had to try a few) and its nice to know that even over the internet I am developing an ear for a sound.

Again, incredible playing, so relaxed. Going to practice....

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by Toolate

thanks- I love that sound (on my drums too- had to try a few) and its nice to know that even over the internet I am developing an ear for a sound.

Again, incredible playing, so relaxed. Going to practice....

Thanks so much! My hope is to spark inspiration in people to want to play. I've met too many people who get intimidated when they can't do what they want to play, it's a drag. Buddy Rich even said that we were to be inspired to want to become that good whenever you saw somebody like Joe Morello or Louie Bellson, et al.,.... I'd hate to be the reason somebody just gave up playing. Thanks for watching!

[mmulcahy1]

So I'm watching your video an thinking to myself: "Wow, that kit sounds great! I wish I could get on it and play." of course, I'm also thinking that the kit it backwards when I realize, "IT"S A LEFTY!!!"

There's just not that many of us!

Left-handed people are the only ones in their right minds. =)

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by mmulcahy1

So I'm watching your video an thinking to myself: "Wow, that kit sounds great! I wish I could get on it and play." of course, I'm also thinking that the kit it backwards when I realize, "IT"S A LEFTY!!!"

There's just not that many of us!

Left-handed people are the only ones in their right minds. =)

Come on out to CA and you can play it - and I won't have to switch it around for you!

[larryace]

Bo you're such a smooth player. You play on such a high level with great ease. As a solo, TBH....it didn't do anything for me. Now you know I have a ton of respect for your abilities, but to me it was more like you were practicing various triplet combos. Which is different from a drum solo IMO. I do have pretty strict requirements for a solo to really grab me, not many solos grab me. In my mind you weren't really soloing, you were exploring triplets, 2 different things.

The reason things like that don't grab me is because there's no context, no ostinato you are weaving around, no common thread. A solo without an ostinato, or some kind of compelling nonstop rhythm as context, leaves me flat every time. Hitting drums without a larger rhythmic plan or journey (other than the next 2 notes) falls way short for me.

Not taking away from you as a player. What I'm saying is I'd like to hear those triplets played in a musical setting with other instruments as a reference point. I'm missing a reference point, a contrasting element to play against. Even a click would help me out. I want to hear something keep relentless time.

The second the time drops out, so does any momentum, a cardinal sin in my own personal soloing playbook. I like to hear momentum building up nonstop to some kind of peak. That's what butters my biscuits.

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by larryace

Bo you're such a smooth player. You play on such a high level with great ease. As a solo, TBH....it didn't do anything for me. Now you know I have a ton of respect for your abilities, but to me it was more like you were practicing various triplet combos. Which is different from a drum solo IMO. I do have pretty strict requirements for a solo to really grab me, not many solos grab me. In my mind you weren't really soloing, you were exploring triplets, 2 different things.

The reason things like that don't grab me is because there's no context, no ostinato you are weaving around, no common thread. A solo without an ostinato, or some kind of compelling nonstop rhythm as context, leaves me flat every time. Hitting drums without a larger rhythmic plan or journey (other than the next 2 notes) falls way short for me.

Not taking away from you as a player. What I'm saying is I'd like to hear those triplets played in a musical setting with other instruments as a reference point. I'm missing a reference point, a contrasting element to play against. Even a click would help me out. I want to hear something keep relentless time.

The second the time drops out, so does any momentum, a cardinal sin in my own personal soloing playbook. I like to hear momentum building up nonstop to some kind of peak. That's what butters my biscuits.

And I too understand what butter's Larry's biscuits! I've complained rather openly among friends that I too, don't like just meandering solos. I love to solo over ostinatos, which I'm prepared to create with my MIDI rig, but I don't. Perhaps I'll set one of those up next. But yes, it is technically a solo, but you're right, there's no reference to anything else so I could be doin' some high-falootin' meandering too.

I remember seeing the movie Bird about Charlie Parker and there were alot of scenes where he's playing by himself and I'm not getting it, but he's hailed as a great sax player. A friend even gave me a live concert CD of Max roach and Dizzy Gillespie performing together - with no one else - two CD's full of "what the hell is going on?"

So, yes, I understand you, Larry. I just wanted to prove to myself I could be smooth with the triplets, because unlike Andy, I can't automatically do them if all else fails. They're one of the things I fail at, so I work on them a bit, knowing I may never use them at all on a gig!

Stay tuned for some new directions, everybody ;)

[larryace]

You mean they're hard for you? I mean I'm not that great with them either but you smoke me as a player. I just don't get the impression they're hard for you.

I do understand that even though they may look and sound smooth, only the player knows how they really feel while playing them.

Would love to hear a solo by you over an ostinato, either played by you, or something external.

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by larryace

You mean they're hard for you? I mean I'm not that great with them either but you smoke me as a player. I just don't get the impression they're hard for you.

I do understand that even though they may look and sound smooth, only the player knows how they really feel while playing them.

Maybe seeing John Bonham do them when I was a wee child at mind bending speed was a bad idea back then, but like flam-a-diddles, I go into a brain-freeze when I need to perform them (like if I play with a band that actually does Rock n' Roll).

That's why I was so proud to post the video in the first place - I was actually doing them and to me it was sort of a musical application of the redundant rudiment, I thought. I have all kinds of holes in my playing where you would expect me to be able to play certain things. But man, when you hang out with the guys I play with here in the Kingdom, you suddenly feel a little lacking ;)

[Anon La Ply]

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

Maybe seeing John Bonham do them when I was a wee child at mind bending speed was a bad idea back then, but like flam-a-diddles, I go into a brain-freeze when I need to perform them

That's exactly it. If I try them, the minute they start working okay my focus is hijacked by a 16-year old voice in my head shouting "Oh wow oh wow. I'm actually doing them!"

And then I start to fu ... er, gallop.

[keep it simple]

Originally Posted by Anon La Ply

That's exactly it. If I try them, the minute they start working okay my focus is hijacked by a 16-year old voice in my head shouting "Oh wow oh wow. I'm actually doing them!"

And then I start to fu ... er, gallop.

Bonham "galloped" them occasionally, & I remember examples of Simon Phillips doing the same, so you're in good company. In the context of the two aforementioned drum gods, it's irrelevant, as their overall vibe is just so damn good. However, if I was to gallop them, it just comes across as a screwup, because I have zero depth in my playing to fall back on :(

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by keep it simple

Bonham "galloped" them occasionally, & I remember examples of Simon Phillips doing the same, so you're in good company. In the context of the two aforementioned drum gods, it's irrelevant, as their overall vibe is just so damn good. However, if I was to gallop them, it just comes across as a screwup, because I have zero depth in my playing to fall back on :(

I wouldn't call it 'zero depth', Andy. You ride yourself too hard.

[keep it simple]

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

I wouldn't call it 'zero depth', Andy. You ride yourself too hard.

Not so sure Bo. If I hadn't played a lot, & to a certain level in my previous life, I'd probably be fairly pleased with my current playing standard. I don't compare myself to others, why would I, it's a pretty defeating exercise, but I do compare my playing to myself 25 years ago. I can't help it, no matter how I try to disconnect. One thing I am aware of recently, is how my playing progress has suffered because of concentrating on everything else other than drumming. I've just made some changes to address that, so I'm on a journey again. Hell, I might even get to practice one day :)